Sunday, February 15, 2015

Steak night at the remodeled Pyrennes Cafe, more on the Hell's Angels in Bakersfield and remembering the late CBS newsman Bob Simon

* … HELL'S ANGELS: I recently posted some pictures on my online blog of the day in 1965 when the Hell's Angels roared into town, triggering this response from Ron Derbyshire. "As an avid Harley rider here in Kern County I have attended a couple of rides put on by the Bakersfield and Ventura

chapters of the Hell's Angels. The ride in Ventura was a benefit for the parents of a local high school boy who was paralyzed in a tragic football accident. The ride here in Bakersfield was a benefit to help under priviledged kids at Easter time. They collected around 600 Easter baskets to distribute." Good form, indeed.

* … FOODIE BEST BET: There are few things I enjoy more than dining at one of our locally owned Basque restaurants that boast communal seating, a standard menu and set up (cabbage soup, beans and a salad). Noriega Hotel has always been high on my list but you can add the recently remodeled Pyrennes Cafe to the list. Co-owners Rod and Julie Crawford have done a remarkable job restoring Pyrennes, and as one person at my table said, looking around the noisy and crowded room, "This is really the best of Bakersfield."

* … OVERHEARD: A woman is sharing her pet peeve of the day. "It's crazy when the GET bus stops in the middle of the block and folks are dashing across the street trying to catch it," she said. "I just saw an elderly man on 34th Street near Chester nearly get clipped."

* … SPOTTED: On Twitter was this post: "(the late CBS newsman) Bob Simon led the kind of life that Brian Williams could only lie about."

* … SCAMS: Caroline O. Reid has a system to handle all those annoying calls from fake IRS agents and other salespeople. "I believe I have shut them down a bit by answering the phone, 'Who is this and what do you want?' The callers are so shocked they hang up. Of course, you need Caller ID. Last night the unknown caller said, 'Have a little respect.' My response was not pretty. It was 8:30 p.m., I had company, we were watching a TV program. Very very annoying. I just reenlisted on the “Do Not Call' list but it apparently didn’t help. For people who have friends and family who might call from overseas, often the caller ID shows 'Out of Area.' Ask them to immediately say, 'Mom, it’s me.'”

* … GOLF: This memory of the old miniature golf course on Mount Vernon comes from Dennis Franey. "In the early 1960s my classmates in elementary school would have their birthday parties there. The name was Golfland and it was located next to Paola's (Bowling) College Lanes."

* … MEMORIES: Stephen A. Montgomery said he was watching a Huell Howser episode on the history and restoration of the Hollywood sign when it triggered a memory about a similar sign promoting real estate development in the then-bare hills of College Avenue near the intersection of Camino Sierra. The sign read 'HILLCREST' to promote postwar development in the area. Sometime around 1950 they turned out the lights and not long after the sign was gone," he said.